


Ashes to Ashes...

by HillianLink



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-02-11 07:05:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2058612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HillianLink/pseuds/HillianLink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashes To Ashes...: Lost. Confused. Memory shattered. All of these words describe an Umbreon, dubbed Shade by a shy little Flareon. He now must adventure to repair his memory and uncover his past. But what happens when he unintentionally becomes a protector of the Citizens of Altomare? How will he manage when figures from his past turn up, and he begins remembering who he is?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was fast. No more than a few hours passed after I mentioned the vote in one of my stories, before this one won. Granted, I'm not exactly surprised that this one. I mean, people love stories that involve adventure, and this one focuses on that particular topic. So, here it is. Ashes to Ashes... the poll winner. So, I hope that you enjoy this story. It's going to be one of my more serious ones. Now, there will, of course, be some comedy, because a story without comic relief can get repetitive as fuck. I mean, who wants nothing but fighting in a story? I don't know, I just know that I don't. Anyway, let's go.

 

* * *

 

** My Awakening **

I opened my eyes to see that a canopy of leaves was far above me, with sunlight filtering through the greenery. I sat up, groaning with pain at the intense headache that was afflicting me.  _Arceus, that hurts._ I looked around me and saw large trees in every direction.  _Where the hell am I?_ I thought for a second, before realizing something else.  _Wait a minute. Who the hell am I?_ This thought frightened me, so I quickly began plundering the deepest depths of my mind for an answer, but inevitably came up empty handed.  _Okay, let's go over what I do know first. I am an Umbreon._  I looked down and saw that I was wearing an outfit made entirely of black. My feet were encased in a pair of black combat boots, laced up tightly. My legs had a pair of black jeans on, with a small bulge in my right pocket. I stuck my hand into my pocket and grasped the item. I pulled it out to see that it appeared to be a small metal clip, with a few pieces of thick folded paper clipped into it. My torso had a plain black t-shirt on it. I stood up, and gazed around. I inspected the paper, attempting to remember what it was, until a word came up in my mind. Money. Currency. An item given a value, thought the material it is made of poses one very small, and is traded to people in return for goods or services. Glad that I know what at least one thing is, I pocketed the money. Knowing that just waiting wouldn't be very beneficial, I began walking through the trees randomly.  _This is rather odd. I know what simple everyday objects are, I know common knowledge, but I don't know any of my past, nor do I know where I am, or even the names of any city or town. Hell, I don't even know if there are any towns here. For all I know, this world may just be an endless forest. And why does this word keep repeating in my head? Redemption. What am I redeeming?_ I was so lost in my thoughts, that I was jolted from them as my foot struck something and I fell, face first, to the ground. Seething, and in pain, I flipped onto my back to look at what I tripped over, only to be surprised when I saw that it was a long wooden crate. I opened it up, to see what appeared to be black cloth. I took it out, revealing that it was a black hoodie. Without thinking, I rose and put it on. It completely covered my torso, as it should. I flipped the hood up and reached into the crate again, to grab another piece of cloth. I took it out to see that it was a long black duster. I put it on and it went down to just above my boots. I saw a slight bulge in the duster's pocket, and pulled out the item. It was a plain black bandana. I flipped my hood down and tied the bandana around the lower half of my head, covering my mouth, before putting the hood back up. I bent down to look into the chest to see one last item. I drew it out, my breath catching in my throat at its beauty. I pulled it from its sheath, revealing the black obsidian blade, odd carvings tracing up its length on both sided. I fully pulled the katana from its sheath, revealing it to be about five feet long and, after lightly running my finger across the blade and actually drawing blood, razor sharp. Grinning widely under my bandana, I strapped the sword's sheath to my right side, before sheathing the weapon. I saw a small pond near me, so I went over to it. I gazed at my reflection in the water to see that the only part of my body that was visible was the portion my eyes.  _This makes for a nice disguise._ I only had a moment to pride myself in my work, before I heard small footsteps approaching me. I simply froze, not knowing what to do. As I heard the small padding enter the clearing, I slowly turned around, to see a Flareon enter. It wasn't a morph or anything, merely a normal Flareon, whom appeared to be about the size of an Eevee, oddly enough. It froze when it saw me, before baring its teeth, growling.

"What are you doing in my territory?" It growled out, confirming the fact that it was a female.

I thought for a second to come up with an answer, but in the end, all that came out was, "I'm not quite sure, really."

"What the hell do you mean?" She returned.

"Well," I began explaining, "I just simply don't know why I am here. You see, I woke up only a few moments ago, lying on the forest floor, with no recollection of my past."

"What?" She asked, her tone turning into one of curiosity, rather than the former hostility. "Are you being serious?"

"Of course." I responded. "Why would I have any reason to lie to you?"

She padded over to me and began sniffing me, saying, "I don't know. Maybe you were scared of me torching your ass."

I chuckled, before saying, "I assure you, I am not frightened at the prospect of you attacking me."

"Are you saying that I'm not scary, or something?" The Flareon asked me, staring up at me.

"I never said that." I replied, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "I merely said that I am not frightened of your threat."

She sighed, before dropping to the ground, ears drooping.

"You don't have to lie," she said, eyes to the ground, "I know I'm not frightening. That's one of the reasons that I was kicked out of my pack."

"What do you mean?" I asked, dropping down to sit cross-legged in front of her.

"Well, I was born into a pack of Ferals." She began.

"What exactly is a Feral?" I asked, before she could continue.

"Do you really not know?" She asked me. I shook my clothed head, and she said, "Well, a Feral is obviously a Pokemon that is not a pet or anything. But, there are different kinds of untamed Pokemon. Some will be nice and peaceful, and will actually have a conversation with people, should they want to. Then there are Ferals. Ferals, or sometimes called simply monsters by the local townspeople, are extremely hostile wild Pokemon, ones that don't speak any human language. They use fear to intimidate others into getting what they want, and attack those that don't comply."

"They kill others just if they don't get their way?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry, you must have misunderstood me." She clarified. "They don't kill, at least not always. They'll sometimes just maim and bring close to death. Granted, you'd prefer either of those instead of what they normally do."

"Which would be?" I asked.

"Well, I assume that it's obvious by know that these Ferals don't obey any morals whatsoever, correct?" She said. I nodded, so she continued, "Well, all packs of Ferals are run by the males, so what they say is what happens. They will commonly kidnap other Pokemon and bring them home to the clan to join the females of the clan in their duties."

"Which would be?" I further pushed.

"Mating." She simply stated. "As soon as a female reaches sexual maturity, she is thrown into the breeding stock. No one ever takes mates. The females are the lowest on the food chain, only used as fuck toys by the males. Rarely a day goes by in a clan that doesn't end with every female in the clan getting fucked."

"Arceus, that sounds horrid." I said, shocked.

"I imagine that it is." She said. "I ended up getting out before I reached my maturity."

"How exactly did you get out?" I asked. "These Ferals don't seem to be the type to just go with a simple please."

"Trust me, they aren't." She said. "I ended up being kicked out because I wasn't as Feral as needed. I mean, as you can tell, I know how to speak to humans. As you can see, I'm not exactly the largest Flareon in the world, which not only makes me less intimidating, but is also a tell-tale sign of an infertile female, or, at the very least, one that doesn't have very good genes, which would be disastrous for any male wanting to pass down their genes. And then, of course, there is always the matter of me not agreeing with their practices. So, in the end, I was deemed too weak to be a part of the clan, and I was banished. They had assumed that I would die, but that was about two years ago."

By now, I could tell that she was holding back tears. I pulled her up into my lap, taking her by surprise, and wrapped her into a hug, gently stroking her fur.

"That seems like a rather foolish reason to kick such a wonderful and nice Flareon such as yourself out of a clan." I said, softly. "Granted, I can tell by your demeanor that that was probably for the best. You don't seem like you would enjoy killing. Or being a clan whore, for that matter."

"Trust me, I wouldn't." She said, nuzzling into my chest. After a few moments, she said, "Could you please let me go now?"

"Of course." I replied, sitting her down.

She was about to walk away, when she turned back to me, saying, "Hey, would you like to come back to my den with me? It's getting dark soon, and someone with no knowledge of the landscape, such as yourself, would surely fall victim to the local Ferals."

I weighed my options for a moment, before saying, "Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Of course." She said, chuckling. "C'mon, follow me."

I complied, beginning to walk by her side, easily keeping pace with her, due to my longer legs.

"So," she said, "do you have a name, mister tall, dark, and scary?"

"You think that I am scary?" I questioned, slightly concerned.

"Well, at first." She replied. "I mean, you're wearing all black, which in itself is slightly frightening, you appear to be much taller than average, as most people around here are only in the 5'8 range, while you appear to be at least 6'4, and you have a giant sword on your waste. Yeah, you're pretty damn frightening."

I chuckled, and said, "So, what makes you so sure that I'm not frightening now?"

"Well, how you treated me back there, really." She replied. "You seem extremely nice, like you would help someone in need. But, anyway, do you have a name?"

I thought for a second, before saying, "I don't really know. I mean, as I said, I don't have any recollection of my past, nor of the land around me."

"Okay then." She said, seeming to be lost in thought. After a few seconds, she said, "Shade."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You need some name other than 'Mister Tall Dark and Scary', so I thought of one." She responded. "How does Shade sound?"

I thought for multiple moments, before agreeing, "Yeah, Shade sounds alright. Do you have a name?"

"Of course." She replied. "I am known as Ember."

I smiled, before saying, "That's a cute name. Really fitting."

She smiled back, before saying, "Thank you."

We continued walking until we reached a cave. Ember lead the way in, and I followed. The cave was actually quite large, about the size of a standard living room, really.

"Well, here we are," Ember said, as the sun began setting outside, causing darkness to creep into the cave, "my home. I know it's small, but-"

I cut her off, saying, "It's perfectly fine. It's not too small, really."

"Oh." She said, obviously surprised by my reaction. "Thank you."

I nodded in return. As the darkness continued snaking its way through the mouth of the cave, it brought with it a slight chill.

"We should make a fire." I commented.

"That would most likely help." Ember agreed. "Food would be nice, as well."

"How about this?" I said. "Seeing as you know the area, which includes what we can safely eat, along with where to find it, how about you look for food, while I collect wood?"

"Alright." She said, nodding. "Let's meet back here in a few minutes."

"Agreed." I said, nodding.

We both left the cave, Ember going one way, and myself going another. I returned about five minutes later, my arms full of sticks. Seeing that Ember hadn't returned, I decided to go ahead and set up the sticks for the fire. Just as I was finishing this task, Ember entered the cave, a large leaf folded in her mouth. I saw that she was struggling with it, as it was dragging the ground, causing her to trip slightly with every step, so I rushed over and took it from her mouth.

"Thanks." She said, her mouth now empty. "That was slightly difficult to bring home."

"I imagine." I remarked, bringing the bundle over to the sticks, as the whole cave was plunged into darkness.

"Here, let me take care of that." I heard Ember say.

Moments later, I saw a small ball of fire shoot out from the shadows, before hitting the sticks, which easily caught fire. The fire cast light through the cave, basking Ember and I in its orange glow.

"There." She said. "That's better."

"Indeed." I agreed.

I sat the bundle that she brought down and opened it, revealing a small pile of nuts and berries.

"I know, it's not exactly the best meal ever, nor is it the most food in the world," she started, "but it's all I could find. I figure if we roast them over the fire, it would be pretty good."

"It's alright." I said, dropping to my knees and pulling the small Eeveelution into a hug. I released her and said, "Here, you go ahead and eat."

"Aren't you going to eat?" She asked me, staring up at me. "I mean, I'd rather have some meat as well, personally I can't stand having a vegetarian meal, but it's at least some food."

"No." I responded. "I'm not very hungry."

"Are you sure?" She asked me. "There may not be a lot, but there's enough for both of us."

"I'm positive." I replied. "Now, go ahead, eat."

She looked at me, reluctance in her eyes, before turning to the small pile of food. As she began using her own flames to roast them, I got up and went over to the mouth of the cave. I sat down, and looked out, staring at the moon.  _Who am I? And what exactly am I meant to redeem?_  After sitting there for a while, I moved to the back of the cave, where I dropped to the floor. As I did this, Ember came over to me, and laid down next to me.

"Goodnight Ember." I said.

"Goodnight Shade." She returned.

I felt her nuzzle closer to me, and I subconsciously wrapped my arms around her body, pulling her closer.

* * *

I awoke to hear feet approaching. I shifted my weight slightly, careful not to disturb Ember, who had fallen asleep in my arms. I gazed to the mouth of the cave, barely able to make out a large figure in the shadows, as the fire had died sometime while we slept.

"Hey, Ember." I whispered, nudging the Flareon.

She woke up, blinking drowsily, and opened her mouth to say something, but I silenced her with my hand.

"Ember, I believe that there is someone else in your cave." I whispered.

Her eyes went wide, and she pushed my hand from her mouth, before whispering, "Shit, I forgot that this was the night that they were coming."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Who?"

"The Ferals." She explained. "They are from my old clan. They found me one day, and threatened to kill me, but we struck a deal. The deal was, they would let me live and leave me alone, but twice a week they get to come over here and, um, use me."

She finished her explanation even quieter than before, and I could swear that I saw a few tears in her eyes. I knew by how she was acting what she meant by 'use' and I rose to my feet, my mind set.

"No, Shade, what are you doing?" She asked me.

"Fixing your issue." I replied, before heading to the front of the cave.

As I got closer, I could see the shapes of a Jolteon, an Espeon, and a large Leafeon at the mouth of the cave.

"Leave this place," I said, becoming bathed in moonlight as I reached the mouth of the cave, with Ember padding up behind me, "and do not come back."

Their reply was simply just baring their teeth, and the Leafeon let out a growl.

"No, Arc, just leave." Ember said. "I don't want you here, and my friend will not hesitate to get rid of you."

The Leafeon growled again, as the three Pokemon began stalking towards us.

"Damn it, get the hell out of here." Ember growled out, baring her teeth as well.

As the Pokemon got closer, I moved in front of the small Flareon.

"What are you doing?" She asked me.

"Let me handle this." I said, my hand on the hilt of my sword.

The Leafeon leapt at me, and I quickly pulled my sword from its sheath. As it flung from my sheath, the long blade connected with the Leafeon's neck, slicing its head off with one swing. Its lifeless body dropped to the ground, its head a few inches away from the rest of its body. I heard a loud gasp let out from Ember as blood began pouring from the severed body parts. The other two Feral Eeveelutions glared at me, before growling at me. They both leapt at me at once, but I intercepted them with my blade, hitting the Jolteon in the stomach, not with enough force to sever any body parts, but enough to slice a deep wound into it. As soon as the Jolteon's body dropped, I lashed out with my sword again, stabbing directly into the Espeon's chest. As its body went still, I used my foot to push the corpse from the blade of my sword.

Ember rushed up next to me and let out a gasp, before squeaking out, "Holy shit, you actually killed them."

"Yes." I replied, simply.

"What the hell have you done, Shade?" She said, suddenly freaking out.

"I believe that we already covered what I did." I replied. "I killed them."

"That's not what I meant, damn it." She yelled. "Do you know what you have done?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, calmly.

"You have just killed three of the most respected members of their clan." She said. "That means that you have officially just royally fucked us."

"How so?" I asked.

"The fucking clan knows where they go and the fucking clan will know that something's fucking wrong when they wake up and they will fucking come after us." She growled out.

I sighed, before bending down to Ember. I picked her up, eliciting a small squeak of surprise from her, and held her in my arms.

"It'll be alright." I said. "If they come after us, I will keep you safe."

"Shade, I don't know if you can handle all of them." She said, calming down.

I thought for a second, before saying, "Y'know, after tonight, I had planned on doing a sort of adventure thing, y'know, sort of just wander around and try to find someone who may know who I am."

"Okay?" She said, confused.

"Well, as your home is now compromised, and it is technically my fault," I continued, "would you like to come with me? We could travel together, meet some new people; maybe get into a little more trouble."

"Really?" She asked, sounding hopeful. "You want me to come with you?"

I chuckled, and said, "Of course. So, what do you say?"

"Absolutely." She replied, pressing her head into my chest. She looked up at me, and said, "Are we leaving right now?"

I looked out through the mouth of the cave and saw that the sun was currently rising, the sunlight seeping through the trees. I looked down at the dead Eeveelution bodies at my feet, and got an idea.

"I was thinking that first we could eat some breakfast." I said. "I'm getting slightly hungry."

"What are we going to eat?" She asked me. "I mean, I could go and find some more nuts, but that isn't very likely."

Instead of answering, I just looked down at the Eeveelutions. Ember's eyes followed my gaze, and when she saw what I was looking at, her eyes went wide.

"Are you being serious?" She asked, shocked.

"You said that you would prefer to eat meat." I said, shrugging as I sat her down.

"Well, yes, but them?" She said. "I mean, I've never had Eeveelution before, let alone one that I know."

"Well, it's not like you actually liked them." I replied. "And, besides, it's food."

She sighed, before saying, "Alright, fine. I'll go and find some more wood, while you carve them up."

"Alright," I said, as she walked past me, heading towards the mouth of the cave, "be safe."

"I will." She replied, as she left the cave.

As I heard her pad away, I aimed my katana down at the Leafeon's body. I stabbed the blade down into the Eeveelution's body, splattering blood onto my black clothes.

* * *

 


	2. Well, Today's Been Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I finally put up a new chapter for this. Yeah, minor writers block for it, but now we can continue.

 

* * *

 

**Well, Today's Been Fun**

Ember sighed, and said, "I really can't understand how you can do that so easily."

"Do what?" I asked the small Flareon that was on my shoulder. I took a bite of the cooked meat that was in my hand, and said, "Or are you still talking about our breakfast?"

"Yeah, I am." She said, as I continued walking through the trees. "I mean, they're Eeveelutions, just like us."

I shrugged, and said, "Food's food. And we were hungry."

"Well, yeah, but still." She said.

I sighed, and said, "Listen, if you have an issue with it, I don't have to eat."

Without waiting for an answer, I threw the piece of meat that I was eating into a bush.

Ember sighed, and said, "I didn't mean that you had to do that."

I just shrugged, and said, "What's done is done."

Ember just sighed again, before snuggling up closer to my neck. It had only taken a few minutes before Ember had returned earlier with the wood, and we had a flame going shortly after. When I had finished cooking the meat, Ember ate a fair amount, after I told her multiple times that it was just meat. I had chosen to eat on the road, as I wanted to get going as soon as possible, so I had taken a chunk of meat with me. And now the meat was sitting in a bush somewhere behind us, only missing three small bites. I continued walking, every small breath I took visible in the cold morning air.

"Y'know," I commented, "for this place being home to a clan of Ferals, ones that we just killed three members of, it's extremely quiet and safe."

As soon as I said this, I heard a piercing scream ring through the forest.

I sighed, and said, "Or not."

I rushed off towards the sound, prepared for a fight.

"Slow down." Ember requested, barely hanging on to my jacket.

I quickly arrived in a small clearing, where I saw a group of Ferals consisting of a Scyther, two large Eevee, and an Umbreon surrounding a shape at the foot of a large tree stump.

I unsheathed my sword, pointed it at the group threateningly, and said, "Leave here now."

The Ferals turned to face me, anger in their eyes, which were stuck in a glare on me. I heard the small Flareon on my shoulder gasp.

"Shade, we need to leave, now." She pleaded. "Trust me, you can't take these guys, especially not with Blade here."

"Blade?" I inquired.

"The Scyther." She responded. "He's the leader of the Feral clan that claimed these woods, the same one that the Eeveelutions belonged to."

"And what makes you think that I can't take them?" I asked.

"Because Blade's the best fighter in the clan," She replied, "which is why he's the leader. And that Umbreon is Kage, his second in command, a title also earned by fighting prowess."

"And the Eevee?" I asked.

"They must be Kage's sons." She replied, hiding lower in my jacket.

As we had been speaking, Kage, as well as the Eevee pair, had been charging a Shadow Ball in their mouths, which they let flying as soon as we finished our conversation. As the dark orbs flew towards us, I bent my legs, crouching slightly. Just before the attacks hit us, I launched myself into the air, doing a clean back flip over the spheres. I landed with ease, before flinging myself at the Ferals. The Scyther moved up front, bracing himself for my attack. I made sure to give him what he wanted, slashing down with my katana as I went through the air. My single blade collided with his crossed pair, and I used the angle of the blade to launch myself into the air. In midair, I spun around and sent my katana flying down at one of the Eevee. The blade stuck into its brown body, pinning it to the ground as the Feral's fur quickly turned crimson. I shot back down, landing on the other Eevee in a roll. As I rolled off of its head, I grabbed the Eevee by the ears, sending it flying into a tree as I rolled to my feet. I spun around just in time for Kage to leap at me, fangs bared and claws out. I reacted quickly, reaching out and grabbing his neck. I squeezed his throat until heard a satisfying crunch, and his black body fell limp. I threw the corpse off into the trees, and locked eyes with Blade.  _Shit. My sword's right next to him. There's no way I can get to it easily._  The Scyther quickly took off flying at me, his wings buzzing as he went. He held his arms up, crossed, ready to hit me. I reacted on impulse, bracing myself and sticking my hands out and grabbing the blades. I felt my feet move back in the dirt, as the sharp weapons sunk into my palms, eliciting a gasp of pain from me. Concentrating on the move pool that Ember had told me that I have the previous night, I tried to form an attack in my hands. I ended up forming exactly what I wanted, exploding the large Dark Pulses immediately, sending all of us flying away from the blast. I came to a tumbling stop a few feet away from the small crater that I formed, coughing up dust and dirt. I looked up, to see that Blade had already picked himself up, and was rushing towards me.  _I can't fucking move quick enough._ I quickly curled up into a ball, preparing for the hit. Suddenly, I heard a small roar, followed by the heat around my head to increase greatly. After a few seconds, I looked up, to see that Blade had collapsed into a pile only a foot or two in front of me, his body blackened. I looked to my left, and saw that Ember was standing next to my head, shaking terribly.

"Ember, did you do that?" I asked, going into a sitting position.

She didn't answer, instead just slowly moving over to me and climbing in my lap, before burying her face in my clothes. The clearing was suddenly filled with the sounds of the little Flareon's sobs, and I could feel my shirt growing damp. I slowly reached down to the shaking head in my lap and began slowly petting her, trying to calm down.

"Shh, shh." I soothed. "You did wonderfully, Ember. I know how hard that was for you, but just know that you did amazingly. You saved me, Ember, you saved my life."

After a few minutes of soothing and crying, the small Flareon finally calmed down, climbing even further into my lap.

She looked up at me, tears still in her eyes, and sniffled out, "Sorry about that, Shade. It's just that I really don't like violence, and then having to do that. It's just-"

I pulled Ember into a hug, and said, "You don't need to apologize. I know how you are. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me."

"Why?" She asked me, slightly muffled by our hug.

"Because I ruined your old life, and then immediately put you in a position where you had to do what you hate the most in the world." I replied, pulling her closer.

After a few seconds, she pulled away and climbed back onto my shoulder.

"Now, how about we check on their prey?" I asked.

Ember nodded, and we started back for the stump. On the way, I pulled my sword from the Eevee's body, sheathing at as we approached the stump. At the foot, we found a Glaceon, appearing to be slightly younger than I, which Ember and I had agreed was somewhere around twenty. I bent down to her, and saw that she was, in fact, unconscious.

I picked her up, before saying, "C'mon. We should get her to the nearest town."

Ember nodded, and said, "Alright." She pointed to my left, and said, "About two miles that way."

I nodded, and started walking that way. It took us a little over an hour to reach the town, where we were greeted by two armored guards. The duo, an Espeon and a Mightyena, stepped out of the town, spears aimed at us.

"You." The Espeon yelled at me. "Freeze."

I sighed, and said, "I don't have time for this shit. I have an injured person here."

The guards came up to me, and the Espeon noticed the Glaceon in my arms.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed. "Mist!"

He dropped his weapon and rushed over to me. He took the Glaceon, whom I presume to be called Mist, into his arms, before immediately retreating into the town. I went to follow him, but I was stopped by a sharp spear tip pressed into my chest.

"No you don't, buster." The Mightyena said, putting pressure into his spear. "You and I need to have a nice little talk."

"Alright." I responded, slightly exasperated. "About what?"

"Oh, a few things, really." He replied, hostility dripping from each word. "For starters, why the hell did you have Mist with you, unconscious? How about that giant fucking blade at your side? Or, maybe, why not tell me why the fuck you look like some rip off assassin?"

I sighed, and answered, "The clothes are because I like them. The weapon is for the same thing yours is, protection. And I had Mist with me because I saved her from death. Now, anymore questions, or do you just want to be rude to me without bothering with the question marks?"

The Mightyena growled at me, but, before he could respond, he was interrupted by a voice saying, "Sin. Stand down."

I looked behind the Mightyena, to see a Pyroar a few feet back, clad in regal robes.

"But, Mayor Jin, this person could be a threat." Sin replied.

"Oh?" The Pyroar replied, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "And what proof do you have? Is it that he carries a weapon? Well, should we be interrogating and harassing you, as well?"

The Mightyena's eyes sunk to the ground, and he mumbled, "No, sir."

"Very well then." Jin replied. "Now, I would prefer it if you would leave myself and this man alone."

The Mightyena nodded, before leaving us. The Pyroar approached us, coming up directly to me.

"Now then," he addressed me, "who exactly are you?"

"Shade." I replied simply.

"An interesting name." He replied. "So, what is your business here?"

"I was traveling through the forest, when I heard a yell." I replied. "I went to the person's aid, and found the Glaceon known as Mist, surrounded by Ferals. I then killed the Ferals and brought her here."

"Very well." Jin said. "What of the small Flareon that has been hiding in your jacket since you got here? Will we have to worry about her?"

At this, Ember poked her head up from her cloth hiding place, her ears twitching.

"No." I answered. "She is not a Feral, and, in fact, hates committing any violence."

A smile spread across the Pyroar's face, and he said, "Finally, a full answer from you." I froze, shocked, and he said, "Don't worry, I won't pry. Your reasons are your reasons, I just want to make sure that my people are still safe." He stuck his hand out, and said, "My name is Jin, and I am the mayor of Forthton."

"Forthton?" I asked, confused.

"Yes. It is this village that you have arrived in." Jin replied. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to my duties. If you want to find Mist, she will most likely be in her Elliot's house, in the southern part of the town."

I nodded, and he left.

"So, shall we go and check up one Mist?" I asked.

"Sure." Ember replied.

We began making our way through the village, attracting a few stares. It was a fairly small village, just the right size for a standard village. We eventually reached the southern district, and immediately got lost.

I went up to a Typhlosion that was running a clothing vendor, and asked, "Hey, do you know where Elliot and Mist live?"

"Why do you feel the need to know?" The Typhlosion asked cautiously.

"Because I would like to speak with them." I replied.

"Well, I would like to make some money." The Typhlosion replied, making his point clear.

"Well, I don't have any money." I said.

"How odd. I suddenly forgot where those two live." The Typhlosion said. "Say, what were their names again?"

I just sighed, exasperated, and I was about to threaten the vendor, when a voice behind me said, "I know where they live." I turned around to see a Vaporeon behind me, a basket in each hand. "I can show you, if you like."

"Thank you." I replied, nodding.

She nodded, and began walking away. I followed her, ignoring the vendors sounds of annoyance.

After catching up to the Vaporeon, I asked, "So, do you know the two?"

She chuckled, before saying, "Well, I'd like to think so. I mean, I am Elliot, so I'd say so."

"Oh." I replied, blushing slightly. "My apologies."

"It's fine." She said, waving her hand. "So, why do you desire to speak with us?"

"What, did someone not come find you?" I asked her. She shook her head, fear creeping into her eyes, so I continued, "Mist has been injured."

"What?" Elliot replied, freezing.

"Yes." I replied. "She was attacked by some Ferals outside of town. I ended up discovering them, so I helped out, but she was unconscious when I got there. Upon arriving, an Espeon guard took her from me."

"We must hurry." She said, beginning to move quicker. "While Skyth is a fairly adept medic, I should be there to make sure that she's okay."

We started running through the village, until we reached a small house. Elliot threw the door open, and I followed her in. She dropped the baskets on the ground as we entered.

"Elliot, please tell me that that is you." A voice said from an open door across from us. "Mist is unjured and-"

"Yes, yes, I know." The Vaporeon interrupted, rushing through the door. As she entered, she pushed out the Espeon, Skyth, while saying, "Now, get out. I'll tell you when I'm done."

The door slammed behind her, leaving the three of us in the small room. Looking around, I noticed that it was a combination kitchen/dining room. There were a few cabinets, a small fireplace, a chimney sticking up from it, and a wooden table, four seats resting at it.

Skythe suddenly noticed us, and he said, "Oh, hello. You're the person from earlier, the one who saved Mist." I nodded, and he came over to me, before shaking my hand and saying, "Thank you so much for that. I mean, she's like a sister to Elliot and I."

"It's no problem." I replied. "She needed help, so I helped."

"Still, you've done so much for us." He replied.

"So, why does she live here with you two?" I asked. "Why not live on her own?"

"Well, she's only eighteen, so we allow her to live here." He answered.

"Why not with her parents?" I asked.

"Th-they're dead." He replied, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Oh." I replied awkwardly. "My condolences."

"Don't worry, it was years ago." He replied. "Anyway, I must return to my job. Tell Elliot for me?"

I nodded, and he walked past me, leaving.

"Well, today has been fun." I commented.

"Yep." Ember replied.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so. Second chapter opinions? I know, not too deep or anything, but, still, it's a chapter that I enjoyed writing. Really, though, there are only a small handful of chapters that I can think of that I won't enjoy writing, and that's because of the content. Anyway, so, onto the third story in my Update Marathon. Yeah, so, essentially, I decided that since I go back to school on Friday (for a half day. I don't even fucking know anymore.) that I would do one last giant thing, one where I update every single story in a twenty four hour period, before just getting back to writing whenever, rather than staying up until eight in the morning to write. Anyway, this gets The Reclamation of Aeon City and Ashes to Ashes out of the way. Now, if you'll all follow me in my journey, we shall head over to The Half-blood Pokemorph, where we shall join Izaak in his quest to give the guys the best Christmas that they've ever had. But, first, coffee. See you there.


	3. Earning My Keep

** Earning My Keep **

I sat at the table in the small kitchen, the untouched bowl of soup on the table in front of me. I just sat there, my eyes locked on the Vaporeon across from me. Her eyes returned my gaze, despite the fact that she was actually eating. I flicked a quick glance at Ember to my right, seeing that she was eating, as well, but her attention was fully on the steaming food in front of her.

"You can eat, you know." Elliot pointed out to me. "I didn't poison it."

"I hadn't thought that you had." I informed her. "I'm merely not hungry."

"Or you just don't want me to see your full face." She pressed, finishing my thought for me.

I smirked at her intelligence, my mouth still hidden, and replied, "Possibly. But you cannot blame one for desiring some form of secrecy in life."

Elliot sighed, agreeing, "You aren't wrong. Especially with Caxus and his army running amok."

"Caxus?" I asked, the name hitting a chord in me.

"You don't know of him?" The Vaporeon gasped, shocked.

I shook my head, requesting, "Please, who is this Caxus person? I implore you to tell me."

She nodded back, replying, "Of course. I'm just surprised that you have never heard of him. He's the leader of the Vexus Army. They started as a small group of soldiers, armed with little more than farming equipment. At first, they helped people. They would protect from Ferals, stop crimes, and all sorts of good stuff."

"Then why are they hated so much?" I inquired.

Elliot sighed, before explaining, "Because that all ended. Years ago, something happened, something that changed them. Hell, for all we know, they were always this way, just hiding it underneath their kind demeanor." She took a deep breath, before continuing, "They became tyrants. Their ranks grew and grew, before Caxus decided to use their power and numbers for his own desires. He began taking over towns, claiming them as his. At first, he only killed those that resisted, but soon after, his hatred grew stronger. You see, his entire army is composed of nothing but pure-bred Fire types. After taking over a few towns, he decided that they are the superior race. If you weren't pure-bred, you were killed. If you were pure-bred, but not a Fire type, you were enslaved." She stopped to wipe a few tears from her eyes, before finishing, "They control most of the world now. The only kingdom that still resists is Phorolund, and they're slowly losing. Once they're captured, there will be only a few small towns, similar to ours, but those shall surely fall."

As she spoke, something clicked in my mind, and I voiced it, "Is that what happened to-."

"Yes." The Water type cut me off. "That's why she lives with us. Her town was attacked and burned to the ground, but she was off picking berries. When she saw what happened, she hid in a cave. Skyth and I were out investigating the smoke, when we heard her crying. We eventually convinced her to come with us, and she's lived her ever since."

"How long ago was this?" I asked.

"Three years ago." Elliot replied. "She was barely fifteen when we found her. It was her birthday."

Ember took this time to speak up, saying, "Wow. I'm so sorry."

Our Vaporeon host shook her head, telling Ember, "Don't be. It happens. Besides, I'm not the one that was hurt."

After this statement, the room grew quiet. We all sat there, all eating having already stopped.

After a few minutes of this, Elliot cleared her throat, telling me, "Well, while I have no real issue housing you, Skyth isn't exactly the most excited about it, despite you saving Mist. He says that you should contribute some."

"Any thoughts on how we could help around here?" I asked her. "I'm all for making life easier here. And I can fight fairly well."

She appeared to contemplate my words for a few seconds, before replying, "I'm not sure. But, you could always talk to Skyth at the Guard Barracks. They're always looking for more help against the Ferals, not to mention the gang of thieves that moved in a nearby cave recently."

I nodded, saying, "Thank you." I rose, asking Ember, "You coming?"

The Flareon leapt onto my arm, replying, "Of course. I'm always ready to go with you."

I nodded, telling Elliot, "Thank you. We'll be sure to go to the Barracks."

The Vaporeon nodded back, rising and grabbing our bowls, before replying, "Of course." I started for the door, but stopped when she said, "Oh, and Shade?" I turned around, as she told me, "Seeing as you two slept on the kitchen floor last night, I believe that I should tell you this. We have a spare room in the attic. This house may be small, but we made sure to have that. There's a ladder on the back wall of the house that lets you into it. You can have that room."

I nodded, replying, "Thank you, Elliot. I'll be sure to keep everything in order."

She nodded back to me, as I opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind me.

"So," Ember asked, as I started through town, "to the Barracks?"

"Indeed." I replied.

"Any idea where they are?" She added.

I froze, realizing that I had no idea where to go.  _Fuck._

The Flareon sighed, telling me, "I'm sure that someone can tell us. I just hope that they don't ask for money when they do."

I nodded in agreement, as I began weaving through the streets of the town, wandering randomly. Eventually, we found a Houndoom dressed in guard armour.

"Excuse me." I spoke, coming up to him. "Sir?"

He turned to face me, answering, "Yes?"

"Would you happen to be able to direct me to the Barracks?" I asked him.

"Oh?" He said, obviously suspicious of my motives. "And why would someone dressed like a Vexus Assassin want to go there?"

"Vexas Assassin?" I voiced my confusion. "Is that what Sin meant yesterday when I arrived?"

"Yes, Shade, it is." A voice said behind me. I turned around, recognizing the voice as Skyth, as he continued, "The only differences in the equipment are the katana, which is a pair of daggers for the Assassins, and they have no face covering." He paused for a second, before adding, "And you have Ember, of course."

I nodded to him, replying, "I guess that I can see why he was wary of me, then."

The Espeon nodded to me, agreeing, "Yep. The only reason that he didn't attack on sight, other than having Mist, is because everyone knows that a Vexas Assassin would never approach from the front." He motioned for the Houndoom to leave, and he complied, before Skyth asked me, "So, might I ask why you were looking for the Barracks?"

"I was looking for you." I informed him. "I spoke with Elliot, and we both agree that I should attempt to help out around here. Therefore, I have come to see if the Guards need any help."

He appeared to think for a second, before replying, "Well, the Guards themselves don't need any help." He paused, before continuing, "But, I can think of something that you can do. I assume that Ell mentioned the band of thieves, correct?" I nodded in response, so he told me, "They need to be cleared out. Soon."

"Why is this not a Guard job?" I asked him.

"Because we haven't been given orders to." He explained. "You see, we're Forthton Guards, not mercenaries or assassins. That means that we aren't allowed to attack someone unless we are ordered to, and we have yet to be ordered to take them out."

"What's keeping you from being given the task?" I inquired.

"Our general, Fyoro, is scared to fight them." He told me. "The last time we were sent to take on non-Ferals, we lost four men. He doesn't want to take that risk."

"So I'm being sent instead." I understood. "That way they're taken out, but no one is technically defying orders. Isn't murder illegal, though?"

The Espeon chuckled, before saying, "Seriously, Shade, do you actually think that anyone will go after the guy who took out a group of thieves? Hell no! You're doing a community service!"

I nodded, telling him, "Alright. Can you give me directions to the cave?"

"I'll do more than that." He told me. He reached into his pocket, before pulling out a folded square of thick paper, saying, "This is a map of our region. If you ever leave this town and go to another region, this won't help you, but if you stay around, then this can save your life." He flipped it open, telling me, "This thing has everything marked on it. Our town, the other three small towns in the region, and the main city, Phorolund. Not to mention the different mountains, caves, creeks, and all other shit." He showed the map to me, pointing to a name, saying, "See this place? The Crystal Mines? That's where you're headed. Get in, take 'em out, and come back for a reward."

"A reward?" I asked, confused. "I thought that I was just doing this to earn my keep?"

Skyth chuckled, telling me, "Shade, people wash dishes and help cook and clean to earn their keep. People defend the town to earn coin and other shit."

"Interesting." I replied. "So, you'll pay me for helping out?"

"Of course." He answered, nodding. "As will others. Hell, some certain people may pay you with more than money."

I nodded to him, saying, "Sounds nice. So, I guess that I should get going then."

He nodded back, replying, "Alright. I'll see you when you get back."

With that, he smiled to me, before walking off.

"So, ready to go kick some ass?" I asked Ember.

"W-Will I actually have to fight?" She asked me, obviously worried.

"Not if you don't want to." I reassured her. "I won't force it on you."

She nodded to me, replying, "Thanks."

I nodded back, before heading for the town gates.


	4. Weapon Get

** The First Job **

“Well, I guess that this is it.” Ember commented, staying balanced in her usual place on my shoulder.

“It appears so.” I agreed, cupping my chin in my hand.

I stood there, observing the large hole in the ground that lies just outside of Forthton. After a few seconds, I moved to the the ladder, preparing to enter the black mine.

“Shade!” The small Flareon on my shoulder shouted, stopping me. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going in.” I told her, motioning toward the mine. “That’s where the bandit group is, therefore that is where I have to go.”

“D-Do you have to?” She asked me cautiously. “I-I mean, you could just tell Skyth that we couldn’t do it, right? Maybe get another job?”

I sighed, questioning, “Ember, is there something that I need to know?”

She hesitated for a moment, before sighing in defeat and telling me, “I’m scared of the dark, Shade. I know that it’s so fucking stupid, but I just am. I’m sorry.”

“Ember, you should never be sorry for something like that.” I told her. “And you don’t have to go with me. If you’d prefer to stay home with Elliot, then you can.”

“Are you kidding?” The Fire-type countered. “I’m not letting you go alone! I may not like violence, but if you get hurt, I won’t be scared to defend you.”

“Ember, I’ll be fine.” I assured her. “You can go home. I promise.”

“No.” She replied, much more assertive this time. “I may hate the dark, but I care for you more. If you’re going, then so am I.”

I chuckled, petting the small vulpine Pokemon on my shoulder, telling her, “Thank you, Ember. I’ll try and make this quick.”

She nodded solemnly as I went over to the ladder. I swung down to hang over the edge of the wooden platform, gripping the top rung of the platform, before slowly starting my descent. It took a minute or so to reach the floor of the mine, where I dropped down to, kicking up a small amount of dust in the sole beam of light that followed me in. I scanned the area, quickly finding a discarded torch just outside of the reach of the blackness that surrounded us. I grabbed it and held it up to Ember, who promptly shot a small flame onto it, igniting the cloth on the tip.

“Now then,” I said, as a foot or so around us was revealed in the light, “let’s go.”

Ember nodded, and I stepped down the tunnel, struggling to keep my footsteps silent. As I moved deeper, I felt Ember hunker down on my shoulder, digging her claws into my duster. Before long, I began to hear voices, alerting me to the threat.

I eventually got to where they were around the next bend, so I killed the light, listening as one of them asked, “So, when are we gonna go out again? Running low on sake.”

“Don’t know.” A second one replied. “Up to the boss, really. You know how pissed he gets when we go out without his say so.”

The first one sighed, agreeing, “Yeah, I do. Those fucking scars on Ruto are fucking bad, man.”

“Hell yeah.” The second one answered. “And I sure as hell don’t want any.”

I peered around the corner, seeing that the two men were sitting at a fire in a small dirt room in the mine, a bottle in one man’s hand and a leg of some avian Pokemon in the other man’s.

“Got a plan?” Ember asked me, keeping quiet.

“Maybe.” I responded, my mind racing.

I scanned the area more, taking in my surroundings. The man eating, an Aipom, sat with his back to me, a spear propped against a wall near him. The other man, a Pidgeot, was looking right off in space, and I noticed a dagger strapped to each side of his waist. This may work. Arceus, I hope that this works. I took a deep breath, before stepping out of my hiding place, watching the light flicker across the walls of the room and my tunnel. I moved closer, until I stood just at the edge of the light, my silhouette the only thing visible, if that. As I drew my katana from my waist, I saw the man holding the bottle move his eyes onto me, causing them to grow wide. Before he could speak, I gripped my weapon tightly and launched it at him. As the blade flew threw the air, aimed straight at the Pidgeot, I chased after it quickly. My katana went right past the Aipom, embedding itself in his friend. The sight of the bird dropping to the floor, a large blade through his chest, caused the other man to freeze in shock, before going to leap up, reaching his spear. Before he could act, I tackled him, sending both of us to the floor, with me on top. He opened his mouth, ready to call out, but I quickly forced his mouth shut, silencing him. As he struggled beneath me, I coated my right hand in an Iron Claw, before stabbing it into the monkey’s neck. His struggles quickly ended as his life drained from his neck, allowing me to remove my hand from his mouth as his pushes against me grew weaker, before stopping.

“Fucking brutal.” Ember commented quietly, as I got up and pulled my katana from the other bandit.

“Yet required.” I added, examining the room now that I could see it all.

The new perspective revealed that another tunnel led off to the right, this one lit, with a large metal chest at the left wall.

As my eyes lingered on the chest, Ember brought the voice to my thoughts, “Should we open it?”

“I-I’m not sure.” I replied, moving over to it. “It isn’t ours.”

“Yeah, but it isn’t theirs, either.” She countered.

“I guess.” I hesitantly agreed, running my hands down the lid of the chest. “How about this: if there’s something in there that I can use, then I’ll take it. Otherwise, I’ll leave it be.”

Ember nodded as I slid my hands under the lip of the lid, before slowly opening it. As the lid flew open, I looked into the container, examining the two items in it.

“Weapon get.” Ember commented, as I reached into the chest.

I pulled out the first item, an elegantly carved wooden longbow, feeling it rest nicely in my hands. I pulled the string back, feeling it stretch tightly in my hand. I put the weapon on over my head, before pulling out the accompanying quiver, in which I counted ten or so arrows. I put the quiver on, putting it on my back.

“Should come in handy.” I said, closing the chest back. “Just hope that I’m at least adept with it.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will be.” Ember assured me, as I went to the other tunnel. “You seem to know how to do most things without really trying.”

“I suppose so.” I agreed, adjusting the bow around me. “Still odd.”

Ember shrugged in response, as I started down the tunnel, passing a torch on the wall every few steps. I followed the path slowly, the tunnel winding down deeper into the earth. With every few steps, the temperature grew colder, until the ground evened out, with the cold bringing a chill to my fur and causing my breath to come out in puffs.

“Arceus, it’s cold.” Ember commented, crawling under my duster.

“Indeed.” I agreed. “I’ll hurry up.”

I moved deeper into the tunnel, until I heard more voices in a room up ahead, these spitting out taunts and insults.

“Little fucking feral!” One voice shouted, followed by a whimpering noise.

“Thought you could steal from us, mutt!” Another followed.

There was the sound of a boot hitting something, followed by a high pitched whine of pain. At the sound, I felt Ember tense up on my shoulder, so I lightly scratched behind her ear to calm her.

“P-Please, no.” Came a small plead. “I’ll go away, I-.”

“Shut up!” The small voice was interrupted by a third man, who seemed to send a blow to the small creature.

Ember tensed up again, saying, “What are they doing to that Feral?”

“I don’t know.” I replied. “But I can’t let it die.”

“You can understand it?” She asked me.

I nodded, answering, “Yeah. Therefore, I must let it live.”

I peeked around the corner, seeing that there were four men, all with a sword in hand, standing around a small Petlil. As I watched, one of the men, a Golduck, sent another kick into the small Grass-type. Alright, four men. A Golduck, a Glameow, a Heliolisk, and a Charmeleon. I quickly thought out my plan, pulling my bow off of me. I pulled out two arrows and nocked them both, pulling them back in preparation. Alright. Aim and count to three. I aimed my bow, positioning the arrows to where one would hit the Golduck and the other would strike the Charmeleon. I took a deep breath, before releasing the arrows. Both arrows hit their targets in the back of the neck, sending the duo dropping to the floor. Before the other two ‘Mon could react, I rushed up behind the Heliolisk and slipped the bow around his neck, pulling the string back against his throat, choking him.

“What the hell?” The Glameow exclaimed, shocked.

As I used the bowstring to choke the lizard, I swung the bow around, hitting the Glameow in the side of the head with the end of my bow. I continued swinging around, using the ends of my bow to hit the Glameow as the Heliolisk slowly stopped struggling. When he eventually dropped, I knocked the cat before me off of his feet, before pulling an arrow from my quiver and stabbing it into his neck, ending his life quickly. I stood up from the kill, panting lightly, before grabbing my bow and arrows, followed by putting them back in their places. With that done, I turned my attention to the whimpering Petlil.

“Hey, I won’t hurt you.” I tried to calm her, crouching down next to the small Pokemon. “I promise, I-.”

I was cut off by the little Pokemon as she dashed away from me, and into a small hole in the wall. I let out a small sigh, my eyes on the hole that it disappeared in.

“Well, you have to admit that you don’t seem all that friendly.” Ember told me. “I mean, with how you’ve been killing these guys recently, you seem almost heartless.”

“I suppose.” I agreed. “I truly don’t believe that I am, though.”

“I know you aren’t.” She assured me. “Don’t worry.”

“Thank you.” I responded, scratching behind her ear. “But, more importantly, what is a non-feral Feral doing down here?”

“Who knows.” She answered. “But, seeing as I don’t see any other paths off of here, I guess that we’re done. Let’s head home.”

I nodded, beginning back up the tunnel. But as we went, my mind stayed wrapped in thought.What the hell is she doing down here? Are there any more?

* * *

I stepped into the house, Ember resting on my shoulder.

“Arceus, that place was cold.” The Flareon commented.

“Yep.” I agreed, patting her head. “But we got the job done. Need to tell Skyth later.”

“Speaking of Skyth, where is Ell?” She asked me.

“I’m not sure, but-.” I began, but I was cut off by footsteps in the other room.

My eyes shot to the doorway, to see a Glaceon step into my view, a small dagger in her hand.

“Who the hell are you?” Mist growled out. “And what the hell are you doing here?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was the first chapter? So, as I said, this will be a more serious story, so I hope that you guys enjoy it.
> 
> Anyway, two quick things about polls. One, I believe that, unless I already have something planned, I will use a poll to decide my next story each time from now on. Next time I put one up, I will replace this slot with another story idea, giving you guys four choices still. Two, I now have another poll on my profile, this one regarding to my AO3 exclusive story. I would appreciate it if you gave the poll and story a look, and I thank you in advance.
> 
> So, until the next chapter, goodbye.


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